A federal judge has ordered that Army officials release records related to former President Donald Trump's visit to Arlington National Cemetery during the summer.
On August 26, Trump visited the military cemetery to commemorate the anniversary of the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. The military personnel died in a bombing at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in 2021, amid the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The former president was reportedly invited by family members of some of the fallen service members and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Trump then visited Section 60 of the cemetery, where many troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq are buried.
On October 22, Senior Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered that the Army release its records by October 25, as part of a lawsuit filed by American Oversight.
The nonpartisan group, which works to uncover government records, sued for the records to be released following a Freedom of Information Act request. The lawsuit pertains to an alleged incident that took place when cemetery staff tried to prevent members of the Trump campaign from filming and taking pictures, according to American Oversight. Filming and taking pictures at Arlington for political purposes is prohibited by federal law.
Army Times, citing military officials, reported that the employee who tried to stop Trump staffers from taking pictures and filming was "abruptly pushed aside." The individual has not been publicly identified.
The Trump campaign has previously denied any wrongdoing. Trump's staff released statements from some of the Gold Star families involved in the visit, in which they praised the former president.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign for comment via email.
According to American Oversight, the Arlington National Cemetery has confirmed that an incident occurred and that a report was filed. The report was the subject of the group's Freedom of Information Act request.
In a statement on the group's website, Chioma Chukwu, American Oversight's interim executive director, said: "With the election just two weeks away, the American people have a clear and compelling interest in knowing how the government responded to an alleged incident involving a major presidential candidate who has a history of politicizing the military.
"These records belong to the public, and we're pleased the court agreed on the need to expedite our request. We look forward to receiving the incident report and making it available to the public."
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